The present invention relates to a machine and apparatus for decollating or separating parts of a multipart, carbonless, manifold continuous web business forms assembly, and more particularly, to an improved decollating machine and apparatus for separating the parts of a multipart, carbonless, manifold continuous web business forms assembly having "locks" incorporated therein that are utilized to hold the parts of the continuous business forms assembly in alignment when the continuous web business forms assembly is used on high speed printing devices.
Prior to the advent of carbonless paper, virtually all multi-part, manifold, continuous web business forms assemblies had continuous webs of carbon paper interleaved between the parts to effect transfer of information between the parts, and often had a plurality of integral perforated "locks" along their side margins to hold the parts in alignment when the business forms assemblies were used on high speed printing devices. The prior decollating machines were designed to remove and collect the carbon paper webs during the separation of the parts and in most prior machines, the removal and collection of the carbon paper web was used to facilitate separation of the parts of the business forms assembly.
More specifically, the prior decollating machines, and particularly those employing the so-called "waterfall" design, include a plurality of decollating stations arranged in series. Each decollating station has a rotating refold roller and a refold section, and functions to separate one part from the remaining parts of a continuous web business forms assembly. Generally, the business forms assembly is moved to and through a decollating station along a horizontal path adjacent to the refold roller. The part to be separated, the lowermost part in the business forms assembly, is directed down and around a portion of the refold roller and is then permitted to "fall" into the refold section positioned below the refold roller wherein the separated part is refolded again as a manifold pack. Generally, the adjacent carbon paper web, i.e. the carbon paper web disposed between the part to be separated and the part immediately above it, is also, with the separated part, directed down and around the refold roller and is then wound on a rotatable windup spindle positioned adjacent to the refold roller. The carbon paper web functions to forcibly direct the separated part around the refold roller.
In another prior decollating machine described in the Gill et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,557, the carbon paper web windup spindle was positioned upstream from the refold roller in decollating station, a second roller was biased against the refold roller, and the separated part was passed between the nip of the two rollers. In this machine, the carbon paper web, rather than the part to be separated, forms the lowermost part of the assembly as it approaches the decollating station. A transverse bar, disposed adjacent to the horizontal path of the business forms assembly and above the windup spindle, was utilized to assure separation of the carbon paper web and the separated part.
In recent years, carbonless, continuous web business forms assemblies have accounted for an ever-increasing share of the continuous web business forms assembly market. While such carbonless assemblies have many recognized advantages, vis-a-vis the carbon paper web assemblies, it has proved to be difficult to separate the parts of carbonless business forms assemblies on the prior decollating machines, particularly when one attempts to operate the machines at relatively high speeds, since there are obviously no carbon paper webs to assist in the separation. This difficulty is oftimes compounded because the parts of the carbonless business forms assemblies are frequently made from "weaker" paper, i.e. paper with more groundwood fiber content, than assemblies with interleaved carbon paper webs, and thus have a tendency to move around, relative to each other, on high speed printing devices. To overcome this tendency, the "locks" used with the carbonless assemblies have had to be strengthened, and this strengthening obviously increases the difficulty of separating the parts. In this regard, experience has shown that the satisfactory separation of the parts of carbonless business forms assemblies, with the required strengthened "locks", and the satisfactory refolding of the separated parts, cannot be consistently achieved on prior decollating machines unless the machines are run at relatively low speeds. If the machines are operated at even moderate speeds, the business form parts tend to remain fastened together and thus overshoot the refold section and become jumbled. This, of course, defeats the primary purpose for using decollating machines--the expeditious, troublefree separation of the parts with the refolding of the separated parts in individual manifold packs.
There is another problem with the above-described prior decollating machines even when the machines are utilized to separate business forms assemblies having carbon paper webs interleaved therein. Although the prior machines have been advertised as being capable of operation at relatively high top speeds, in practice, it has proved to be difficult to achieve sustained, effective operation at the rated top speeds, except under ideal conditions of humidity, static, strength of the "locks", paper weight, etc.
It is a principal object of our present invention to provide an improved machine and apparatus for decollating or separating the parts of a multi-part, carbonless, manifold, continuous web business forms assembly having integral "locks" incorporated therein. A related object of our present invention is to provide an improved decollating machine and apparatus that overcome the difficulties that the prior decollating machines had experienced in separating the parts of carbonless business forms assemblies and that in addition, permits decollating machines to be effectively operated at their top rated speeds on a regular and sustained basis. A further related object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus that may be relative inexpensively manufactured and expeditiously installed on existing decollating machines and that when installed, permits the decollating machines to achieve the effective separation of the parts of a multi-part carbonless business forms assemblies and the refolding of the separated parts at the rated top speed of the machines on a regular and sustained basis.
The preferred embodiment of an improved decollating machine of our present invention includes a frame which forms and delineates a plurality of decollating stations arranged in series, and means for moving a multi-part, carbonless, continuous web business forms assembly through the machine and past each of the decollating stations along a determined, generally horizontal path and at a pre-selected speed. Each of the decollating stations has a refold roller disposed adjacent and transverse to the horizontal, determined path of the business forms assembly and a refold section disposed below and downstream, with respect to the determined path, of the refold roller so as to receive the separated part of the business forms assembly. The refold roller is mounted for rotation so that the speed of its peripheral surface is slightly faster than the preselected speed. The part of the business forms assembly to be separated at a decollating station is the lowermost part in the assembly and is directed about and contacts a portion of the peripheral surface of the refold roller.
The improved apparatus for assisting in the decollation of the part to be separated from the business forms assembly includes a straight axle having one end mounted on a bracket for pivotal movement about a pivot axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the axle and which permits the axle to be in either a first position or a second position. The bracket is mounted on the frame adjacent to the refold roller. A first wheel is mounted on the axle adjacent to the one end of the axle. In the preferred embodiment, a second wheel is mounted on the axle between the ends of the axle and a third wheel is mounted on the axle between the second wheel and the other end of the axle, although satisfactory performance may be achieved when only first and second wheels are utilized. All of the wheels are adapted to rotate about an axis coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the axle and all have relatively resilient outer peripheral surfaces. A tubular member is mounted on the axle so that its and the axle's longitudinal axes are coaxial, and serves to interconnect the wheels so that they rotate together on the axle.
When the axle is in the first position, the longitudinal axis of the axle is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the refold roller, and the peripheral surface of the first wheel is in surface to surface contact with the peripheral surface of the refold roller so that the rotational speed or velocity of the peripheral surface of the first wheel, i.e. the velocity of the peripheral surface of the wheel in a direction perpendicular to a radius of the wheel, is substantially identical to the rotational speed or velocity of the peripheral surface of the refold roller which, as noted above, is slightly faster than the pre-selected speed of the business forms assembly. The peripheral surfaces of the second and third wheels are in surface to surface contact with the separated part of the business forms assembly as it passes about the refold roller. The diameter of the first wheel, which tends to drive the second and third wheels, is slightly smaller than the diameters of the second and third wheels so that the rotational speed or velocity of the peripheral surfaces of the driven second and third wheels are greater than that of the peripheral surface of the driven first wheel, i.e. greater than the pre-selected speed of the business forms assembly and particularly that of the separated part of the assembly. The difference between the speed of the second and third wheels and the speed of separated part of the business forms assembly results in the second and third wheels imparting an additional force to the separated part as it passes around the refold roller. This additional force aids in the separation of the separated part from the remainder of the business forms assembly by assisting in the "breakage" of the integral "locks" that are formed in the assembly to hold the parts of the assembly in alignment when it is used with high speed printing devices.
When the axle is in its second position, the longitudinal axis of the axle is disposed at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the refold roller, and the wheels are not in contact with the refold roller and the separated part of the business forms assembly. Thus, in the second position, the improved apparatus does not assist in the separation of the business forms assembly. The bracket includes means which tend to bias the axle toward its first position and thus urges the first wheel and the second and third wheels against the refold roller and the separated part of the business forms assembly, respectively.
A decollating machine of our invention has been tested under actual conditions of expected use. These tests demonstrate that this improved machine is capable of expeditiously and satisfactorily decollating multipart, carbonless continuous business forms assemblies having integral "locks" incorporated therein. The machine may be operated at its rated top speed on a sustained basis without any loss of decollating effectiveness. The separated parts are neatly refolded in manifold packs in the refold sections. Tests have also demonstrated that the improved apparatus of our invention may be utilized with prior "waterfall" type machines of as to permit the modified machines to function to effectively decollate carbonless continuous business forms assemblies while the machines are being operated at their rated top speeds. The modification of these prior machines can be accomplished readily and relatively inexpensively since the cost of the improved apparatus is nominal relative to the cost of the machines and since the apparatus can be easily and quickly added to a machine.
Other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of our invention which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings.